Matchpoint
Witnessing the explosive growth of influencer brand power, the Matchpoint team identified a void in the industry;
A marketplace to connect brands with influencers and facilitate all aspects of a deal. Within a few years, they became the first to market in the NIL collectives space.
project brief
The founding team came to us after two years of maxing out their two-person development team.
They had an iOS app and an admin portal, but they needed an Android app and a web app for their users. Further, they were looking for a long-term partnership where they could scale resources as needed with ease.
Solution
We worked alongside their original developer to enable our team to take full ownership of their existing iOS app.
Once things were stable and well understood, we began building an Android app and then a new web app. From there, our team met with their team on a weekly basis to discuss priorities and assess user feedback. This enabled us to work collaboratively to determine the next features to add as their users’ needs evolved.
The main expansion areas focused on three things: compliance, influencer onboarding and communications, and deal terms. Some examples of each are below.
Improved onboarding & Discoverability
We integrated with a number of social media channels to improve the onboarding experience for influencers as well as deepen the discoverability of influencers for the brands by introducing local, regional, and national profile options
Reporting Capabilities
We integrated with a leading compliance company in the athletic endorsement industry to improve their reporting capabilities to universities
Campaigns & Negotiation Enhancements
We added support for campaigns, counter offers, and bonus payments to enable a more real-world negotiation process
For Institutional Partners
The Official LSU NIL App
Following these Matchpoint platform enhancements, we built a white-labeled version of the app for their partnership with Bayou Traditions, the official LSU NIL Collective, to manage all of the deals between LSU’s athletes and national and local brands. This initiative also introduced the concept of “institutional partners” that offer a seamless experience alongside the national Matchpoint platform, allowing Matchpoint to scale to other universities and beyond the collegiate space.
Impact
In early 2023, Bayou Traditions, the official LSU NIL Collective, partnered with Matchpoint as its collective administrator.
From this partnership sprung the creation of a white-labeled version of Matchpoint’s app, NILSU. The NILSU app launched in late August of 2023, and it has continued to be a critical component of the success of LSU’s NIL deals.
Recently, Scepter Holdings, Inc. signed a definitive sales agreement to acquire Matchpoint Connection, LLC. Scepter Holdings owns an influencer optimization software called Adapt.AI, so the two companies coming together will offer a strategic advantage in the NIL and athlete endorsement market.
